Medford man held on drugs, weapons charges

A convicted felon is back in the Jackson County Jail after police found drugs, two guns, and money believed to be from drug sales in his home near McLoughlin Middle School today.

A convicted felon is back in the Jackson County Jail after police found drugs, two guns, and money believed to be from drug sales in his home near McLoughlin Middle School today.

Curtis Lee Hollins, 57, of the 300 block of North Holly Street, is held on $1.03 million bail on numerous drug- and weapon-related charges, including delivery and possession of methamphetamine, delivery of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of Ecstasy, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement — MADGE — Team served a search warrant at Hollins' Holly Street apartment early this morning. The residence is within 1,000 feet of McLoughlin Middle School, police said. Making entry was difficult because of metal reinforcements on the door.

"That included a metal plate on the door frame that kind of reinforces the locking mechanism. There was a crossbar as well," said Lt. Brett Johnson of MADGE.

Johnson added it's not uncommon for drug dealers to have additional security in place where they operate, not just to protect themselves from law enforcement, but from other drug dealers.

"They're pretty parasitic amongst themselves, drug dealers," Johnson said. "They often get ripped off by each other. And who's going to report to police that 'Somebody broke in and stole an ounce of methamphetamine from me at gunpoint'?"

During the investigation, officers recovered 12 grams of meth, four Ecstasy tablets, a small amount of marijuana, packaging, scales and $496. Police believe the money is proceeds from selling illegal drugs. Police also found a Tec 9-style 9 mm handgun and a .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol, which might have been stolen during a 2008 Central Point burglary. Officials have a match on the weapon's serial number, but the description in a nationwide database of stolen firearms is inconsistent, so more investigation is needed.

"It's an initial hit, so we're going to take a look," Johnson said.

Court records show Hollins has pleaded guilty to several felony charges since 2005, including possession and delivery of methamphetamine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and a felon in possession of a restricted weapon.